....my visit to the homeland.....

This week I got to go down south to Gresham, Oregon to visit my best friend and my family....while I was away, Tim went hiking up a giant mountain with two friends to a peaceful and secluded lake (seen here) in the valley of the mountain range! As many of you know, Tim is not your athlete and he rarely does anything that requires him to move his limbs....BUT, one thing you should know about Tim is that he CAN do ANYTHING when he DECIDES he's going to! Seriously! He climbs giant mountains straight up for 7 hours hauling a giant backpack with supplies! He's my hero......but enough about him, let's talk about ME!

So I went to my mom and dad's place and got to spend some awesome quality time with my long-time friend, Alissa. She rocks. You know those people you spend time with that make you feel like you've just hung out with Jesus? Well, that's my mom and my friend, Alissa. There's a peace and a joy about them that wherever we are, we can talk with or about Jesus....laughing with Heaven, enjoying the freedom to be who we are without having to impress anyone...without having to watch our words as to not offend....we feel filled with the Spirit of God to be who He's created us to be. I love that.

I can't help but be blessed by these two very precious relationships God has given to me. They remind me of His faithfulness and kindness to me whenever I am with them. They are truly an example of the loving friendship described in 1 John 4:10-12, which says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us."

When I hang with my mom and Alissa, God's love is made complete. I love that. I am so grateful to be taught and encouraged by such good friends. They're my "Jesus Friends"...what a blessing! Do you surround yourself with these kinds of friends?

Thanks for all the comments and sorry for the delay on posts....I'll get into a routine again soon! I gotta share what happened when my mom and I went to the ZOO together......great stuff....stay tuned!